Six Ways with Flats

February 14, 2019

Have you ever thought about the event equipment behind media walls, many stage backdrops or simple room dividers?

We are talking about the humble, but extremely adaptable, flat or ‘temporary wall’. They’re an important part of stage craft and event production. They consist of a wooden frame that is usually covered in fabric, paint, or digital print. Customisable to suit any theme or size, flats are highly versatile with a myriad of uses. Don’t forget, it is essential that your supplier works with you to determine the best way of stabilising flats to ensure they are installed safely.

Our experienced event production team have shared some of the ways they have used flats on their client events.

1. Media walls

Media walls set the scene for a red-carpet event, providing a perfect background for VIP and guest photos as they arrive.

Frame a stage using flats; use them along the back of the stage to create a backdrop that can be decorated and customised or left blank and projected onto.

Creating the backdrop can also hide anything behind the stage area that might detract from the show.

3. Flats as fascia around stages

We all want a professional smooth stage fascia, however some elements of a stage build, such as the use of screw jacks can make a smooth fascia impossible. The use of flats as a hard fascia around stages can cover a multitude of sins.

Flats as fascia around stages are also particularly useful for very high stages or outdoor stages that need to withstand the elements and wind.

If using flats as a fascia around stages, they can serve a double purpose! As well as the fascia, by using flats that extend above the height of the stage, you can create a control surround.

4. Artistic stages

The creative use of flats can deliver a set design that has impact and impresses your audience.

You can use flats in different shapes and sizes, position them on a stage to create depth, use flats with cut outs for dramatic lighting effects, or decorate them with scenic art – the possibilities are only limited by imagination – and budget!

5. Room screens/divides/temporary walls

Flats can provide a flexible solution to change the floorplan of a room or event space. Use flats to create room screens, divide a space into different sections, or change the size of a room so it’s more appropriate for your audience size.

6. Display walls

Flats are a great way to add additional temporary display walls to any event. Whether it’s for a special collection at an art gallery or museum, for a school art exhibition, or the display of poster abstracts and content at a conference, flats are a flexible, cost-effective temporary solution.

Staging Rentals & Construction has a wide range of rental flats available for your event, or if you’d like to create something unique our construction workshop is ready and waiting to build it!